Field of the Invention
The present application relates to systems and methods for the delivery of a prescribed amount of liquids containing dissolved medical gases directly via the arterial system, and mitigating the harm of inadvertent injection of air during medical procedures, particularly when flushing the lines with fluids, prior to insertion into the body.
Description of the Related Art
In many clinical conditions it is desirable to administer gasses to a patient for therapeutic purposes. For example, oxygen may be delivered to a patient for the by purpose of increasing the partial pressure of oxygen within the patient's blood. In certain conditions, oxygenators may be employed to administer oxygen directly to a patient's bloodstream. Examples of oxygenators include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,934,982, and 4,440,723 The oxygenators combine oxygen-containing gas with blood and return the oxygenated blood to a blood vessel or blood source. The administration of oxygen may provide benefit in terms of alleviating a patient's symptoms, and helping preserve organ function, however, the metabolic state of the cells of the patient's organ or organs may remain normal or above normal.
Inadvertent injection of air into a body, particularly into the arterial circulation—even in very small amounts can lead to devastating complications. Clearing air from medical devices about to be inserted (e.g., stents, coil) and the routine preparation of tubing used for subsequent fluid injection into arteries is particularly problematic as small bubbles adhere to the wall of the tubing, and must be dislodged by shacking the tube while flushing it and holding the distal end up while confirming the bubbles have been flushed form the tube. For complex, non-visualizable devices and tubing, this is even more problematic.
Hypothermia has been shown to reduce metabolic demands on organs, such as the heart and/or the brain. Hypothermia may also provide protective effects on a patient's organs by preventing undesirable spread of cellular death or injury. One method for inducing hypothermia of the heart or entire body is through the use of a heat exchange catheter that is inserted into a blood vessel and used to cool blood flowing through that blood vessel.
Existing devices do not combine the benefits of providing gasses and inducing hypothermia via the bloodstream. Thus, there remains a need in the art for improving organ preservation in patients that suffer from compromised organ functions.